RIP: Oz’s Last Remaining Female ‘Munchkin’

Ruth Robinson Ducciniwas 95. Her death from natural causes Thursday in Las Vegas leaves 93-year-old Los Angeles resident Jerry Maren as the last surviving member of the cast of 124 “Munchkins” from 1939 movie classic The Wizard of Oz.

Duccini’s death was confirmed to the AP by Stephen Cox, author of 1996 book The Munchkins of Oz. He told the wire service he learned of the passing from the performer’s son:

Duccini worked as a “Rosie the Riveter” in Santa Monica, CA during World War II, using her short [four-foot-tall] stature to squeeze into hard-to-reach parts of planes. She also appeared in the [1981 movie] spoof Under the Rainbow starring Chevy Chase and Carrie Fisher.

The foxnews.com version of the AP obit has a great photo of Duccini, Maren and some other then-surviving Munchkins, taken in November 2007 as the group celebrated their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Check out the picture here.

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